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JULY, 1899.)
HISTORY OF THE BAHMANI DYNASTY.
181
CHAPTER III. Reign of Sultan Mujahid Shah,
son of Sultan Muhammad Shah,
son of Sultan 'Ald-ud-Din Hasan Shah Bahmani. When Sultan Muhammad Shah died in A. H. 775 (A.D. 1373), in accordance with his will, he was succeeded by his son, Sultan Mujahid Shah, who bestowed presents and various honours on the nobles and officers.
While thus engaged the Sultan took it into his head to exterminate the infidelity of Bijanagar (Vijayanagar), and to wage a religious war against the infidels ; so with a numerous army and elephants, and placing his confidence in the Beneficent King he proceeded towards Vijayanagar
When the Raya, Kapazah,32 who was the leader of the lords of hell, heard of the approach of the Sultan's army, being hopeless of retaining his life and possessions, was excessively terrified, and shut himself up in the fort. He acted towards the infidels of that country with such helplessness and perturbation that to small and great, young and old, in that calamity the road of management was blocked, and the truth of the saying that "an carthquake is a great thing though it lasts but a little while," became a stern reality to the inhabitants of that part of the country. As a matter of necessity the above-mentioned Rêya, Kapazah, sent to the court of Mujahid Shah a number of his most intelligent and distinguished officers; and they representing their weakness and despair, and professing obedience and submission, agreed to pay a large sum as nail-bah433 into the royal treasury; also to deliver over to the agents of the court the keys of the fortress which was the cause of hostilities and dispute. They also presented on behalf of the Raya, a written agreement to the following effect :- “To the Lord of happy conjunction I am a mean slave, and devote myself heart and soul to his service as long as I live." This agreement was made on condition that the Sultan should have pity on those help less ones, and by his royal favour would insure their country against plunder and devastation by the troops.
After this the Sultan being encamped on the bank of the river Kistnah, and indulging in his favourite pursuits, drank caps of roby-coloured wine; bat suddenly Fortune poured the unpalatable sharbat of martyrdom into the goblet of his life. The particulars of this are briefly, as follows:
Sultan Mujahid Shah had a younger brother, or - according to one history - a cousin, 34 named Da,ad Khan who cherished a desire of usurping the throne; and though outwardly loyal he was secretly intriguing and watching his opportunity. This man with a number of seditious persons one night entered the inner apartment of the Sultan when the latter was asleep in bed, and stabbed him with a dagger. The nobles and the troops, on hearing of the assassination of the Sultan, rent their clothes with grief.
The duration of the reign of Sultan Mujahid Shah was one year, one month and nine days. This event happened on the 18th of the month Zi-ul-Hijjah, A. H. 779 (17th April, A, D. 1377). but God only knows with accuracy !
Note to Chapter III. [The following is the account of the reign of Sultan Mujahid Shân given in the Tazkarat-ul Mulík.]
31 According to the genealogy of Vijanagar dynasty given by Mr. Sewell in his Sketch of the Dynasties of Southern India, p. 103, the R&ya of Vijayanagar at this period was Bukka or Bukka Mahipatt, alias Rajendra, who reigned fron. A. D. 1850-1879. The word Kapazah is very distinctly written in the MS. even the vowel marks are Hupplied. According to Firishtah the name of this Rêya was Krishna. - Vide Briggs, Vol. II. p. 331 et seq.
85 Money given to foreign troops to abstain from plunder and devastation.
* The latter appears to be the correct relationship, as we shall see a little further on. According to Firishtah, DA,ad wae Mujahid's anale.
